Searching For Something Lost
by ZankokuNaTenshi3
Summary: A little story that takes place after Slayers TRY. Filia realizes that something is missing from her life after seeing her friends all settled down and starting families.
1. 1 ~ Fireworks and an Old Friend

Searching for Something Lost  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers. If I did, Xellos would have been in the first series, I would be rich, and I would not be sitting in biology class writing fanfics.  
  
Author's Note: This is supposed to take place four years after the end of Slayers TRY. This is only the first chapter though. I wanted to post something here, and I had this idea, but I was too impatient to type the whole thing. I can't make any guarantees, but I'll try to come up with at least a chapter a month. Please read it and tell me what you think!  
  
  
  
"Mommy! Lookit the flower!" baby Valgaav said excitedly as he pointed over Filia's shoulder. She raised her eyes from the road to look at the fireworks blossoming in the summer evening sky. She continued to walk towards the town the sparkling designs framed, smiling at Valgaav's happiness.  
  
She'd left that morning, heading for Seiryuun. Gourry and Lina owned a farm outside the city, and were holding a baby shower for Lina in a few days. She hadn't seen her friends since Lina and Gourry's wedding two years ago. Some of the others like Jillas and Xellos, she hadn't seen since they defeated Dark Star four years ago. Well, Jillas had stuck around for a few months, helping out in her pottery store, but he left, and she had not seen him since. As for Xellos… well, she could live without that Namagomi.  
  
Adjusting Valgaav's weight on her back as she entered the town, she looked around at the buildings for an inn. The streets were empty, the people who usually filled them probably watching the fireworks. Filia found an inn called The Dancing Dragons, its sign depicting a pair of well- dressed dragons waltzing. Upon entering it, she discovered that it was just as populated as the streets.  
  
"Well, let's go watch the fireworks," she said to Valgaav as she set him down. Valgaav smiled happily and practically dragged Filia back outside.  
  
They both walked to the village green, where all the other townsfolk were, and sat on the soft green grass to watch the fireworks. Valgaav watched his eyes wide with wonder.  
  
After several minutes, the display was over, and the crowd began to disperse. Valgaav stood up and began to run around, trying to imitate a firework. Filia figured he should use up his energy so he would be able to sleep easier, and decided to thank the person who had put on the beautiful fireworks show.  
  
The person was wearing a cloak, and was difficult to see in the darkness. Filia approached him as he packed up the firework launchers and extra fireworks.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, but I just wanted to say that the fireworks tonight were beautiful," she said.  
  
A familiar voice responded "Why, thank you, ma'am. Just doing my job." Then he stood up and turned around, taking off his hat and rubbing his nose with a paw.  
  
"Jillas!" Filia exclaimed, embracing her old friend.  
  
"Filia-san! How have you been?" the fox replied.  
  
"I've been in my pottery shop all along, taking care of the little one."  
  
At this, said little one came running over and asked, "Mommy, who's that?" and pointed at Jillas.  
  
"This is my friend Jillas. He was the one who made all the pretty flowers in the sky tonight," she told the young dragon.  
  
The fox reached down and ruffled Valgaav's frizz of green hair with a paw. "Pleased to meet you," he said. Then he reached into his cloak and pulled out a wire that was treated with gunpowder so it shimmered and showered tiny sparks when he lit it. Then Jillas handed it to Valgaav. "You can have this if you promise to be careful and don't touch the sparkly end, okay?"  
  
"I'll be careful, Jillas, sir!" Valgaav giggled as he ran off, waving the sparkler.  
  
"I'm glad you found a way to maintain your hobby of building explosives. You've gotten really good at it since you were trying to blow us up four years ago," Filia remarked.  
  
"Thanks. It's a wonderful to make people happy. I think it's better than trying to hurt people. I wish I could show Palu my fireworks…"  
  
"You mean he isn't with you?" asked Filia.  
  
"Haven't seen him in four years," Jillas replied, sounding a bit sad. "I travel a lot from town to town, though. It would be hard to have a permanent home and still be able to perform in different places."  
  
"Oh…"  
  
"Say, Filia-san, have you heard from Lina lately?" the fox asked.  
  
"Yes, I have, actually. Lina and Gourry are having a baby shower in two days. I was heading to their farm outside Seiryuun."  
  
"How nice! I always knew those two were perfect for each other."  
  
Filia suddenly got an idea. "Jillas, would you like to come with me? I'm sure Lina-san would love to see you after all this time."  
  
Jillas replied, "That would be great! It will be nice having a traveling companion for a while."  
  
"Okay," Filia told him. "Val and I will be spending the night at the Dancing Dragons. Could you meet us there tomorrow morning?"  
  
"Sure," Jillas said, lighting another sparkler and handing it to Filia with a smile.  
  
Valgaav pranced over to Filia, who gave him her sparkler since his had burnt out. "I'll see you tomorrow then," Filia said as she turned to leave with Valgaav, who jumped up and down excitedly. Jillas finished putting away his supplies for the fireworks, and returned to his wagon.  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Well, here's the first bit of my story. For any of you who may be worried, I'm not going to have any sort of romance between Jillas and Filia. At least not serious romance. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review. 


	2. 2 ~ A New Traveling Companion

Author's Note: Here's chapter two! I hope you all like it, and I promise to post the third chapter soon. Enjoy!  
  
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Filia sat in the inn common room with Valgaav the next morning, sipping her tea. She had gotten a good night's rest, and was eager to get on the road again. Valgaav sat beside her, sipping a mug of apple cider and smiling happily.  
  
Jillas stepped into the doorway of the inn, and Valgaav ran over and hugged his leg.  
  
"Good mornin', Mither Jillas!" he said.  
  
"Well, good morning to you, little boss," the fox replied, patting Valgaav's head with a paw. Filia walked over to them, and Jillas asked her, "Are you ready to leave yet?"  
  
Filia nodded, and all three of them headed outside after she paid for breakfast. As she had been expecting to walk, Filia was surprised when Jillas led her to a brightly painted covered wagon and helped Valgaav to get on. Hitched to the wagon were four large birds that looked like the ones Jillas and his companions had ridden when Filia had first met the fox.  
  
"Need help getting on, Filia-san?" Jillas asked, offering a paw. "I travel in this because I can keep my fireworks dry, but I used most of them up last night. There's plenty of room for you and the little boss to ride in the back."  
  
Filia took the fox's paw and climbed on. "Alright. Thank you. This will be a lot less tiring and a lot faster than walking."  
  
Soon, Jillas took his place at the front of the wagon, and the wagon started to move. The huge birds kept the wagon moving at an easy pace, much faster than walking, but not so fast that the cart was uncomfortably jostled by bumps in the road. Jillas allowed Valgaav to sit beside him on the driver's seat, and pointed out interesting landmarks. Filia passed the time by thinking about her friends. She hadn't seen Lina or Gourry since their wedding, but she knew they would be happy together. That pair went together like… Jillas and gunpowder. She wondered if Zelgadis had found a cure, and if he was still exploring the world on his own or if he had settled down with Amelia. She even wondered about Xellos, if he had found another dragon to annoy, or if he still remembered her. Filia decided she wouldn't think about the trickster priest as much. She didn't really care about him anyway.  
  
At around noon, they stopped and had lunch beside the road in a grassy field. Jillas provided some cheese, bread and some round fruits that Filia had never seen that looked like large oranges with yellow peals.  
  
"Mommy, what's this?" Valgaav inquired, holding up one of the fruits.  
  
Filia replied, "It looks like an orange, but I'm not really sure."  
  
Jillas pealed one of the fruits, took a section, and ate it. "Actually, it's a grapefruit," he said when he finished chewing. "They don't grow around here, but they're pretty tasty." The fox offered Valgaav a piece. The young dragon ate it and frowned.  
  
"Sour…" he muttered, sticking his tongue out. Filia tried a piece too, and found the grapefruit to be a bit tart, but very good. Jillas smiled and continued to eat.  
  
"It must be interesting to travel as much as you do," Filia commented after they finished eating and Valgaav was releasing his extra energy by running around the field after butterflies.  
  
"It is," Jillas replied. "I have all sorts of exotic food that Lina- san would just love. I just get lonely sometimes."  
  
"I never get lonely. I have my pottery shop, and I always have Valgaav." Filia sighed. "Since dragons live longer than humans, they develop slower too. He's quite a handful at this age, and he'll be like this for a while."  
  
"But you never wish you had someone else to help you?" the fox asked.  
  
Filia shrugged. "I'm independent, and I've made it this far without help." Jillas watched her. "But… yes, I do wish I had some help," she admitted.  
  
Jillas smiled and said, "Filia, why don't you-"  
  
"NO!" she yelled. "Y- you're a fox! And I'm a dragon… it wouldn't work."  
  
The fox laughed. "That's not what I was going to ask. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to go look for Xellos."  
  
After several seconds, Filia exploded angrily, yelling, "NEVER! I hope that Namagomi is dead! I hate him!" She lashed her golden tail, growling with fury.  
  
Valgaav came over, a worried expression on his face. "What's wrong, Mommy?" he asked.  
  
Filia sat down, realizing she'd let herself get so angry. "Nothing, Val." The green-haired dragon blinked, confused, then ran off across the field.  
  
Jillas grinned at Filia. "Sorry," he said. "I guess that was a bad idea."  
  
Suddenly, Valgaav screamed. Filia and Jillas jumped up and turned to see that Valgaav was surrounded by black fog. Filia ran to her adopted son and picked him up, preparing for an attack. Jillas stood at her side holding a dagger.  
  
A shadowed figure appeared in the fog as a familiar voice said, "Filia-san! It's been far too long…"  
  
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Author's Note: I'll be mean and end chapter two here, but I promise I'll get chapter three up soon. I have no school this week (yay!) so I should be able to get it written and posted sometime in the next week and a half. 


	3. 3 ~ Some People Never Change

Author's Note: Here's chapter three. For those of you who have been waiting, Zelgadis will be in this chapter, along with Gourry, Lina, and Amelia.  
  
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"Filia-san, how is little Valgaav doing? I've missed you both, you know," Xellos said as he dispersed his fog spell. He smiled a condescending trickster smile.  
  
"Namagomi!" Filia shrieked, holding the frightened Valgaav protectively against her body. "How dare you interfere in my life like this!"  
  
Jillas relaxed slightly, but still looked like he was ready to attack at any second. The fox gave the Mazoku a sidelong glance. "Xellos, why are you here, anyway?" he asked.  
  
Xellos immediately responded, "Sore wa himitsu desu!" and winked at Filia.  
  
Filia's tail lashed behind her. "Xellos, why did you have to scare poor Val so badly?" she said dangerously. Valgaav sniffled and ventured a glance at the Mazoku trickster priest. After a pause, Filia continued, "Oh, that's right, you're a Mazoku. It's your job to be inconsiderate and stupid, unlike us dragons."  
  
"I didn't know the little snot was standing right there," muttered Xellos, opening one eye to glare at Filia. "And I think that dragons are much stupider than Mazoku. We don't loose our tempers as easily for starters…"  
  
Filia's temper flared higher, and Valgaav began to cry again. "So you came here to harass us!?"  
  
"Actually… I heard that Lina and Gourry were having a party. And I knew that you were heading to it… so I thought I'd join you." Xellos smiled broadly. "I'm sure you'll enjoy having a Mazoku to keep you from getting lost."  
  
Filia's eye twitched. "Actually, I think that you should just go away and never come near me again."  
  
"Awww, Filia, you're mean," Xellos said with a fake-looking pout.  
  
"For all you stupid Mazoku, that means GO AWAY RIGHT NOW!" Filia yelled.  
  
Xellos actually stepped back, raising one arm slightly in defense and opening his eyes. He relaxed a second later, shrugging and muttering, "Fine. If you really feel that way, you'll never see me again." And then he vanished.  
  
There was silence for the next few minutes, broken only by Valgaav's quiet sniffling. Jillas looked at Filia, then at the spot where Xellos had been, then back at Filia. Filia glared at the ground like she was trying to burn the grass with her gaze.  
  
Jillas was the first one to speak. "Filia-san…?" he said softly.  
  
"I hate him," replied Filia, as she stomped back to the fox's wagon, taking Valgaav with her. Jillas shrugged and followed.  
  
Soon, they were on the road again. Valgaav dozed in the wagon while Filia sat near the front and chatted with Jillas, listening to him tell stories about the places he'd been. Filia hadn't traveled much at all since she adopted Valgaav and settled down in her pottery shop, so she greatly enjoyed hearing about the rest of the world. Time passed quickly that way, and by early evening, the trio had arrived in Seiryuun. They planned to spend the night there and go to Lina and Gourry's farm the next morning.  
  
That night, Filia had nightmares about Xellos. She typically didn't sleep well when she stayed at an inn, but she also typically did not wake up in a panic from a nightmare, let alone multiple ones. Fortunately, Valgaav slept soundly, as he was unpleasant when he was tired.  
  
After one particularly frightening nightmare, Filia awoke to discover that it was finally morning. She dragged herself out of bed, and after dressing for the day and getting little Val ready too, she joined Jillas for breakfast.  
  
"Sleep well?" the fox asked as Filia and Valgaav sat at his table. Valgaav nodded and smiled broadly.  
  
"Yes, lots of pleasant dreams about my worst enemy…" Filia muttered sarcastically. A look of concern crossed Jillas's features, but he figured talking about Xellos around Filia would just make her angry, something that was usually bad for anyone around her.  
  
"Well, I've eaten already," he told Filia and her adopted son. "You two enjoy your meal. According to the maps of the area I've seen, it shouldn't take more than an hour to get to any of the farms outside the city."  
  
After a small but tasty meal, Filia, Valgaav, and Jillas all got on the fox's wagon, and set out for Lina's farm. Filia wanted to sleep, but she had to sit beside Jillas and help him with directions, as he had never been to the Gabriev farm before. Valgaav sat in Filia's lap and asked countless questions as kids his age usually do.  
  
A short while later, they arrived at Lina and Gourry's farm. A Seiryuun royal coach parked beside the house indicated that Amelia was there already, perhaps with Zelgadis. Filia stepped down from Jillas's wagon, excited at seeing her friends after so long. She stepped up to the door with Valgaav and Jillas following closely, and knocked.  
  
Gourry opened the door after several moments, and stared at Filia. The golden dragon could see that he hadn't changed much. He was clad in all blue, like he had when he and Lina were still adventuring, but wore no armor. On his feet were stout black boots, good for traveling or working on a farm. Gourry still kept his blonde hair long, although he now wore it in a ponytail.  
  
"Hello…?" He said. Then he turned over his shoulder and called, "Lina! There's a blonde lady with a green-haired kid and a fox at the door!"  
  
Filia tried to suppress a giggle when Lina replied, "That's Filia, Valgaav, and Jillas, you moron! Let them in!"  
  
"Oh…." He turned to Filia and her two companions. "Lina says you can come in," he told them humbly as he stepped to the side, allowing them to enter. Filia took Valgaav's hand and lead him inside, and Jillas followed them. Lina met them in the hall.  
  
"Filia!" the sorceress said, coming forward to hug Filia. "I haven't seen you in so long!"  
  
"I missed you and Gourry, Lina-san," Filia replied.  
  
"I see you brought Valgaav and Jillas with you too," Lina said, releasing Filia and looking at her two companions. Jillas smiled and waved, and Valgaav mimicked the fox.  
  
Lina hadn't changed much either in the last two years, except that her shape had changed considerably because of the child developing in her. She wore a fairly plain yellow dress though, something that she never would have done willingly four years ago.  
  
She began to talk to Jillas, asking him how his life had been and how she was surprised that he'd just happened to turn up. Gourry took Filia and Valgaav into another room where two of Filia's other old friends were waiting.  
  
Amelia, unlike Lina and Gourry, looked very different. She had grown up, and had longer hair. She wore a fine dress, fit for the princess of Seiryuun. When she saw Filia, she smiled and waved excitedly, calling, "Filia-san! Valgaav-kun! I knew you'd come! Did you hear that Zel and I are engaged?"  
  
At her side stood a man Filia barely recognized. His pale skin contrasted with his deep blue eyes and the ends of his delicately pointed ears stuck out of his silky-looking lavender hair. His bangs covered his right eye, and he was dressed to match Amelia, which were the biggest clues to his identity.  
  
Filia smiled as she recognized him. "I'm happy for you both, especially you, Zelgadis, since it seems you've finally found your cure."  
  
Zelgadis shifted nervously. "Well, not exactly…"  
  
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This chapter is a little long, but I thought I'd just make all the people who wanted to see Lina and Company happy. As for the Zelgadis finding his cure thing, I know it's overdone, but I had a bit of a different idea about it. I'll explain in the next chapter, promise. ^_~ 


	4. 4 ~ Palu's Journey

Author's Note: Waaaah! I'm soooo sorry this took so long. I know I promised to have this up sooner, but I'll admit it - I'm very lazy. I'll try to make sure it never takes 4 months to get a chapter up ever again. I'm really sorry, folks. ~_~  
  
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A young yellow fox looked around the port city he and his mother had just arrived at. Neither of them had never been to any settlement this big before, and it amazed them both. But they had a mission. They had to find someone, and quickly.  
  
"Palu, are you sure he will be here?" the fox woman asked weakly, her body bent over with disease.  
  
"Yes, mother, the man in the last town said he'd be here for the summer festival," Palu replied, putting a paw across his mother's thin shoulders.  
  
"We had better find him soon. I don't know how much longer I can travel like this.." The fox woman's strength was fading fast, especially after so much traveling.  
  
"I know. But he'll know how to help. Uncle Jillas will know what to do. I'll buy you a room at an inn, and then go looking for him. This is a big city, but if he's here, I'll find him. I promise, Mother!"  
  
Taking his mother's arm, Palu lead her to the first decent looking inn he could find, and rented a room. The young fox was very worried. A few months ago, his mother had gotten a strange disease that had weakened her to the point that she couldn't work on the farm anymore. None of the doctors he knew were able to come up with a cure, or even an explanation. In desperation, Palu had sold the family farm and used the money to set out to find the one person he looked up to and knew would have an answer. Unfortunately, all he'd been able to find out was that Jillas was now a traveling entertainer, showing off his skill with gunpowder through fireworks displays. But Palu knew it was all he could do, and that's what made him continue on his search.  
  
That evening, after searching for several hours in the new city, Palu returned to his mother to find her asleep. She was the only family he knew of, since his father had died so long ago. She had raised him to be a good fox that helped other whenever he could, and now he had to help her.  
  
"Mother. I promise I'll get you some help." he whispered and kissed her cheek lightly. Then he curled up on the floor under a blanket and fell asleep.  
  
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"You didn't exactly find your cure, Zelgadis-san? You look normal enough to me." Filia said, a bit confused. Zelgadis certainly didn't look as chimerical as he did before. When Filia had last seen him, his skin was blue and stony, and his wiry hair had seemed to defy gravity.  
  
"Well, Amelia found a very old book of spells in one of the palace's private libraries," Zelgadis began.  
  
Amelia stepped forward and took over the story. "Zelgadis-san and I found someone to translate it, and they said it was a simple spell from long ago for removing spells that had turned people to stone. He also said that it might work to remove the golem nature from a chimera like Zelgadis- san."  
  
"Wow! That was lucky," commented Filia.  
  
Zelgadis nodded agreement. "It was a complex spell, but it worked. Unfortunately, it only removed my golem nature. So I'm still part demon."  
  
"But Zelgadis-san still has all his magic. And pretty blue wings! Show them, Zelgadis!" Amelia smiled happily at Zel.  
  
He rolled his eyes, but said, "Okay, whatever, Amelia." and began to concentrate. After several seconds, Zelgadis fell to his knees, blue- feathered wings coming through his clothing in the back. Amelia applauded, and Valgaav toddled over to touch them.  
  
"Mithter Zelgadis?" the young dragon said cautiously as he reached out his hand.  
  
Zel looked over at Valgaav and smiled. "Go ahead. I don't know why everyone else likes them so much though. I don't see what's so special about wings."  
  
Valgaav was so fascinated by them though that Filia began to wonder. "Does he remember something about his past life? Because as a half Ancient Dragon, Val had wings like that, only they were black.. If he remembers that much about himself, might he also recall his hatred for me?" Filia thought to herself. She shuddered. Every night she wondered what would happen if little Valgaav were to remember his hatred for golden dragons, and dreaded it. She thought she was repenting enough for her race's horrible sin by raising Valgaav, the last of the Ancient dragons.  
  
Zelgadis picked up Valgaav and held the little one gently in his arms, asking, "So, how are you, little guy?" and dispelling Filia's fear.  
  
Valgaav smiled up at Zelgadis. "Happy!" He said with a smile. He then continued, "Mithter Zelgadis, you're wings are purdy."  
  
Amelia grinned at Valgaav and ruffled his hair. "You're so adorable!"  
  
"Zelgadis, couldn't you use a demon banishing spell to remove the demon part of you?" Filia asked, an idea forming suddenly in her mind.  
  
Zelgadis shook his head. "Those sorts of spells are for getting rid of demons possessing people, not the demons themselves."  
  
Amelia nodded as Lina, Gourry, and Jillas came into the room and all sat down on the sofa. There was silence for several seconds, (an amazing thing in the Slayers universe) then Lina suddenly grabbed Gourry's hand and held it to her abdomen.  
  
"The baby's moving, Gourry! Can you feel it?" she exclaimed.  
  
Gourry nodded, growing excited. "Yeah, that's neat, Lina!"  
  
Lina closed her eyes. "It's talking to me.. It's saying. 'I'm hungry'." Filia, Amelia, and Zelgadis sweatdropped.  
  
"We'd better get something to eat right away, Lina! I'm hungry too!" Gourry said.  
  
"Alright! We'll go to that fish place in Seiryuun. Come on, everyone!" Lina jumped up, pulling Gourry up with her.  
  
Filia smiled. "I'll treat you all this time." Lina cheered. Filia knew that it would cost a small fortune to feed her friends, who seemed to have bottomless stomachs, but she was so glad to see them all again that she didn't really mind. It was just like back when they all were adventuring together. She picked up Valgaav and followed her companions outside.  
  
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Ashdar was an old dragon. He'd been alive longer than any other dragon could remember, but there were some Mazoku who still remembered a world without him. He was powerful, and he knew it. You couldn't tell, though, if you saw him sleeping in his cave with his golden head resting on his front paws. Ashdar had lost his family in the fight against the Ancient dragons. He harbored a great hatred for them, but since it was thought they'd been purged from the world, he'd simply withdrawn himself to his cave, only coming out to eat.  
  
This particular day, he was awakened by an unusual scent; one he'd not smelled in years. Opening his now blind eyes and raising his head, he sniffed at the air again. He couldn't possibly mistake the scent of Ancient dragon in the air.  
  
"I thought I'd killed them all." the elderly gold dragon thought to himself. "Oh, well, I can get this one more." He stood, stretched, yawned, and crawled to the opening of his cave.  
  
Ashdar spread his wings and roared in hatred, his fighting blood stirred in his body by the smell of his hated foe. And then he took off, heading for the human city of Seiryuun, where he knew the dragon would be hiding.  
  
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Author's Note: Yup, sorry again about how long that took. I have a lot more time now that it's summer, so hopefully it won't take 4 months to get the next chapter out ^^;; 


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